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XK0-006 System Management Practice Question

An administrator wants to view the contents of a compressed log file /var/log/syslog.2.gz without decompressing it to disk. Which two commands can be used to display the file contents? (Select TWO).

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

zcat /var/log/syslog.2.gz

zcat and gzcat (if available) decompress to stdout; some systems use zcat or gzip -dc.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
gzcat /var/log/syslog.2.gz
Why it's wrong here
gzcat is not a standard command; some systems have it, but it's less common. However, the question says 'which two', and the most common are zcat and gunzip -c.
✓
zcat /var/log/syslog.2.gz
Why this is correct
Correct: zcat decompresses and outputs to stdout.
✗
less /var/log/syslog.2.gz
Why it's wrong here
less can display compressed files if configured, but not all versions support it directly without piping.
✓
gunzip -c /var/log/syslog.2.gz
Why this is correct
Correct: gunzip -c writes to stdout without deleting the original.
✗
cat /var/log/syslog.2.gz
Why it's wrong here
cat outputs binary garbage, not readable text.

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XK0-006 System Management Practice Question

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

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